Joseph Bennion on fri 1 jan 10
Although I have not followed the bread threads closely they have got me thi=
=3D
nking.=3D0AEarly in my life with clay I was hanging out with some of Vince'=
s =3D
old pals in Crescent City, CA. Mike Selfridge and Harley Munger were a real=
=3D
pair. They made pots in a converted box car on a cliff overlooking the bea=
=3D
ch. They let me "do ceramics" on the wheel they had borrowed from Vince (an=
=3D
other story) while they were off surfing after making their morning pots. =
=3D
=3D0AOn Sundays Harley went down to the docks and bartered pots for fresh f=
is=3D
h, whatever was coming off the boats. Later that day they would put on a bi=
=3D
g fish fry accompanied by loads of pot luck food and drink. Of course there=
=3D
were loads of home baked breads. I got it that pottery and food are connec=
=3D
ted at the hip. As Forrest Gump would say "like peas and carrots".=3DA0=3D0=
A=3D0A=3D
Later I remember sitting in a Toshiko Takaezu demo in the Art Barn at Utah =
=3D
State University. After getting a couple of her big pots started she said "=
=3D
IT is time for pancakes". She suspended all ceramic activities and made pan=
=3D
cakes for all of us while talking about the food/clay nexus.=3D0A=3D0AA dec=
ade =3D
ago I found myself sitting at dinner in a restaurant with Garth Clark. He o=
=3D
bserved that "I love to eat with potters. They have such interesting kitche=
=3D
ns and fix such amazing meals. Painters will eat any damned thing."=3D0A=3D=
0AWh=3D
ile a student at Tuscarora Pottery School in Nevada we shared house keeping=
=3D
in an old miner's hotel next to the studio. We took turns planning and pre=
=3D
paring the meals that we shared. It was part of our curriculum. Those meals=
=3D
were served and eaten off of pots left by visiting artists and students fr=
=3D
om years past. The discussions over dinner were where the best things took =
=3D
place. It was our laboratory.=3D0A=3D0AWhen I teach workshops I insist when=
pos=3D
sible to have a potter's pot luck meal as part of the deal. The food is alw=
=3D
ays great and it is a springboard for discussions of what really matters in=
=3D
our work.=3D0A=3D0AI think food and food preparation is a valid discussion=
top=3D
ic for this list. With that in mind here is my own best chili recipe:=3D0A=
=3D0A=3D
Papa Joe's Killer Peanut Butter Pork Chili=3D0A=3D0A1.5 pounds boneless cou=
ntry=3D
spare ribs-pork cut up into 1 inch chunks=3D0A3 to 5 cloves of garlic minc=
ed=3D
.=3D0ABrown pork in heavy skillet w/ garlic. Add a little oil if needed to =
ke=3D
ep from sticking.=3D0ACover meat w/ water.=3D0AAdd a couple TBS New Mexico =
grou=3D
nd chili (not chili powder)=3D0Asalt to taste=3D0A1 tsp whole, rubbed orega=
no=3D
=3D0A1/2 tsp ground cumin=3D0A1 tsp cayenne (if you like it hot)=3D0ALet si=
mmer o=3D
ver low heat for several hours until meat is falling apart. =3D0AAdd a coup=
le=3D
TBS peanut butter (natural chunky, not that crap with the sugar added).=3D=
0A=3D
When ready to serve, thicken w/ masa if needed.=3D0AYou should have some fr=
es=3D
h warm corn tortillas on the side to chase the chili around your plate.=3D0=
A=3D
=3D0AThis food will change your life.=3D0A=3D0AJoe the Potter=3D0A=3D0AJose=
ph Bennion=3D
=3D0A=3D0AHorseshoe Mountain Pottery=3D0A=3D0AMom's Stuff Healing Salve =
=3D0A=3D0APO B=3D
ox 186 =3D0A=3D0ASpring C=
ity,=3D
Utah 84662 =3D0A=3D0A435-4=
62-2=3D
708 =3D0A=3D0Awww.horseshoemountainpottery.com=3D0A=3D0A=3D0A
Bonnie Staffel on sat 2 jan 10
What a nice comment on Toshiko's workshop in Utah. I had the very good
fortune to attend Cranbrook when Toshiko was also a student, her first =3D
year
in the US from Hawaii. We became good friends. In the pottery studio, we
broke for tea every afternoon and her family would send her goodies =3D
from
Hawaii like canned octopus, exotic teas, macadamia nuts, etc. Then other
students who were day students would bring in home made cookies and =3D
things.
Every day was an adventure in such eating. Maija Grotell would even come =
=3D
up
from her studio with her parakeet on her shoulder to join us for a few
moments and where we could have conversation with her as well.
After I left Cranbrook to stay home with my new child in Montpelier, =3D
Ohio,
she would often come visit and she would cook up such delicacies as
butterfly shrimp, other oriental dishes with special flavorings. Once I
invited our neighbors over to join us. Luckily I had a garden where I =3D
was
growing fresh green onions. She asked me to gather some and I brought in =
=3D
a
few. However, she said she wanted a lot more. I cleaned out my whole =3D
garden
supply for this particular dish. She even dug up burdock roots and other
wild things to add to the dish. She would cut up everything and arrange =3D
them
beautifully on one of my large platters. I believe this was her Ginger =3D
Roast
Pork.=3D20
Later when I was Program Director at the John C. Campbell Folk School, I
arranged to have Toshiko come to the school for a special class. During =3D
the
class she decided to make a baked chicken wrapped in clay and foil. She =3D
put
it into the cooling kiln and it was baked by the end of the session. =3D
Super
delicious and wonderful memories.=3D20
After I moved to Charlevoix, in our correspondence she indicated that =3D
she
had never looked for or found morel mushrooms. Well, our area is known =3D
for
them so she came with her apprentice to spend the weekend. Of course the
weather did not cooperate. It was cold and rainy, no sunshine to bring =3D
out
the morels. However, I knew someone who had a secret woods where he took =
=3D
us
and we found four little morels. They were treasures to her. We brought
them home, she fried them up in some butter and each of us had a cracker
with a piece of morel on it.=3D20
Even though I don't get a chance to see her often, I once traveled down =3D
to
southern Michigan when I heard she was giving a workshop there. I just
quietly sat down in the audience and she spotted me. We had quite a =3D
reunion
the two evenings she was at the workshop and talked way into the night. =3D
Such
a wonderful person and a star in my circle of friends.=3D20
I agree with you that pottery and food go hand in hand.=3D20
Bonnie Staffel
http://webpages.charter.net/bstaffel/
http://vasefinder.com/bstaffelgallery1.html
DVD=3DA0 Throwing with Coils and Slabs
DVD=3DA0 Introduction to Wheel Work
Charter Member Potters Council
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